Hobby Talk: Model Kit Review, MG GNT-0000 00 Qan[T]

Link to revised review here.

From one of the most confusing OVA.

Why this kit
Needless to say, Gundam 00 is always one of my favorite series.  But the lack of master grades from this series (2 seasons and an OVA), is a bit disturbing.  Anyhow, I am looking for a kit with a generous amount of clear parts to build.  The star build strike is a bit hefty and hardly available at stores.  So, I picked up this one.  And to commemorate Gundam 00's 10 years anniversary as well.

Kit Details
The 00 Qan[t] kit was released in November 2010, an A2 box kit with 16 runners and 395 parts.  That's right, more parts than the Noir, 4 less than the Providence, and in a smaller box.  But this includes a small action stand for the huge GN sword.  More on that later.

All these includes 2 clear green runners.  Awesome!

You also get 1 sheet of sticker decal, 1 sheet of foil stickers and 1 small sheet of dry transfer decal.  A very generous amount of decals. But most of these are alternates.  That means you choose either the foils or the decals for the kit.  This kit is priced at 4500 yen.

Build / Difficulty
(Score: +1)
A lot of this kit is being reused for the 00 Raiser, which I have built, especially the arms and legs.  Bad news there.  Lots of familiarity.  But still, this kit has its own highlight.  Lots of clear parts to work with and this is a asymmetric gundam.  That gives less repetition in the build.  Unlike the 00 which you practically mirror the whole kit left, to right.

Build for the kit is alright, not too difficult.  The build for the weapons are the highlight.  Not much effort on panel lining.  Thank goodness after Providence, this is a good break from abusing the GM01 marker.  Like other 00 kits, decals are a bit on the less side.

Looks / Details

(Score: +1)
This is a very good looking kit.  And being asymmetric, makes it even better.  Damn it, I'm a sucker for asymmetric kits.

But being by itself (without the weapons), the 00 Qan[t] doesn't stand out too much.  Attach the big shield, and the GN sword and all the GN bits, and we're talking awesome.

Unless you look really closely, it is hard to tell that this kit has quite a bit of reused part to the 00 Raiser.  This kit looks a bit plain since there's not much usage of decals and not many panel lining opportunities.  White armor on the lower body looks especially plain.

Accessories
(Score: +2)
I don't remember ever giving a 2 for weapons before but this kit has all the gimmicks worth the 2 points.  I really enjoy the weapons and there's so much you can do with it.  Mount the shield on the shoulders or back, transform the weapons and bits to any form you like.

The 00 Qua[t] will never be complete without the weapons.  Did I mentioned the clear parts?

Articulation / Pose ability
(Score: -1)
Now, this is where this kit gets tricky.  This kit is very pose-able thanks to simplicity, with funny double bend elbows and knees.  Posing this kit has 2 major problems.  And I do mean major problem.  Not some tiny annoying problems.

First, a lot of parts fall off, a lot.  Way too much.  Notable ones are the side skirt armor, the entire V-fin plus the clear jewel and the champion of all, the GN drive's cover.

The next big problem, is a compounded problem of the first.  Overweight issue.  The shield and weapons are way too heavy especially if you attach all the GN bits to the shield or all the GN bits to the sword.  The latter can be solved by using the provided action stand for the weapon.

Now, remember the GN drive's cover a few lines before?  The bad news is that the backpack + the swivel mechanism + the shield is all attached and held together to the main body by the GN drive's cover.  A small nudge and the whole chuck of plastics fall off.  And you can't glue this piece shut cause it's where the LED unit is stored and the twist to switch on and off works.

This makes posing super-duper frustrating.  And the weight issue doesn't make it better.  Super heavy shield, the kit starts to lean to one side.  Super heavy weapons, the arms are no way strong to hold it and adjusting the weapons with the action stand is tricky as well.

Shelf presence
(Score: +1)
This kit is not a "Look at me, I'm a Gundam" type.  But it will steal the show with that awesome looking weapons and super great pose, if you're able to put it to pose properly with all the challenges.

Bonus
(Score: +1)
Bonus for the LED capability of the kit.  It's not included but putting LED into any kit, equals to awesome.

Summary and Rating
(Total Score: +5)
This kit is quite a joy to look, pulls some fantastic poses at but handling it is very problematic.

Gundam: 00 QAN[T]
Code:  GNT-0000
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam 00 A Wakening of the Trailblazer
Pilot: Setsuna F Seiei
Faction: Celestial Being
Weapons: GN Sword V, GN Shield, GN Sword Bits
Release: November 2010
Box: A2
Runner: 16
Parts: 395
Price: 4500 yen

Pundit: Buy it if you're a 00 fan.  There's not much choices on the MG line anyway.  Go for the 00 Raiser/Seven Swords if you haven't build a 00 MG before.

Variants
Few variants of this kit that you can also consider.
1) Gundam Exia (2009) - The original suit from the first season.
2) Gundam Exia Ignition Mode (2009) - The broken Exia.
3) GN-X (2010) - The bad guy's suit with fake GN drive.
4) OO Raiser (2011) - The ultimate twin drive with the legendary Saji Crossroad.
5) OO Seven Swords (2011) - The OO with seven swords instead of the O Raiser.

Dalong's Review
Dalong's Score: 104

Up Next: EXIA!